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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

KILRONAN HEIRS GET LOST

HEIR OF DANGER

Book 3 Heirs of Kilronan

Pocket Books

ISBN:143917038X

A man too dangerous to live. . .

After seven years

outrunning enemies, friends, and his own soul-crushing memories, Brendan Douglas is risking everything on a desperate mission. He has vowed to thwart the evil mage Máelodor’s plans to unlock the past and reshape the future. . . unfortunately the precious treasurethat is the key to success lies with a woman he jilted seven years before.

A woman determined to find a life of her own. . .

When her golden-eyed childhood hero abandoned her at the altar—disappearing in a storm of magic and mayhem, destruction, betrayal, and disaster—Elisabeth Fitzgerald struggled to overcome her humiliation and loss. Finally, she has found a new fiancé and a comfortable future. Then, the one man she thought she would never see again appears—among her wedding guests. Brendan Douglas has returned.

An inescapable destiny. . .

It’s not just that Elisabeth is promised to another; Brendan knows he is drawing her into terrible danger. But he cannot resist the bewitching, brave, wholly unexpected woman his youthful nemesis has become. He promised to sacrifice everything, but is he willing to sacrifice Elisabeth?

Born a lady, but reduced to surviving in the slums of Dublin, Catriona O’Connell has been hired to steal a mysterious book from Aidan Douglas, Earl of Kilronan. ButCat is secretly Other, an age-old mixture of Fey and human—something Aidan recognizes immediately when he surprises the lovely young burglar in his library, about to steal a magical diary.

…is the magic he desperately wants.

From the moment Aidan sees her, Cat’s spirited beauty enchants him, but her uncanny abilities are what he truly needs, for Cat can understand the mystical language in the diary he inherited from his murdered father. So Aidan makes an offer: translate the book or be thrown in prison as a thief. And as Cat slowly deciphers each page, she and Aidan are drawn together by passion . . .and into the violence of the Other world that is the Kilronan legacy. Can they defeat those who seek the book, or are their lives in even greater danger than their hearts?

Was it her murdered father? Her fugitive brother? It has been seven years since Lady Sabrina Douglas cloistered herself with the Sisters of High Danu, but the questions remain.She is Other—a mixture of Fey and mortal—quietly using her powers to heal.That is, until she saves a half-drowned man, his soldier’s body a roadmap of scars, his fathomless eyes filled with heartbreaking loneliness. The inexplicable connection overwhelms her defenses, touching her heart, mind. . . and body.

.. .and to what end?

A man with no memory, Daigh MacLir seeks his past, even as unknown threats fill him with monstrous rage and inhuman abilities. But as a desperate game of hunter and hunted is played out from ballrooms to bedrooms, what Daigh discovers is more chilling than anyone could possibly imagine. Defying death was only the first step in the task he has been set, and Sabrina his last hope. But dare he risk involving her? Daigh has been summoned to find an ancient king, and even the powers of love may not be enough to win the battle against the powers of darkness.

ALIX RICKLOFF grew up with a family tree that included a knight who fought during the Wars of the Roses (his brassrubbing hangs in her dining room), and a soldier who sided with Charles I during the English Civil War (hence the family’s hasty emigration to America).With ancestors like that, who wouldn’t be inspired?

Alix turned this fascination with British history along with her love of storytelling to good use. She began writing, releasing her first historical-paranormal in 2007. Her books have been described as “sexy and intense”, “exciting and spellbinding” and “a universe you won’t ever wish to leave”.

ALIX:Constantly. There’s always a stack of books on my nightstand, and I’m always on the prowl for new reads and new authors. Right now I’m reading Liriael by Garth Nix and Lauren Willig’s The Orchid Affair plus novellas by Allison Brennan and Kate Douglas in hopes I can learn how to write short.

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?

ALIX:One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting with my mother every night and reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She would read a page then I would read a page. We still share books, and she’s been my biggest fan from the very beginning.

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

ALIX:I love Beauty and the Beast story and the universal theme of love transforming the baddest of boys into Prince Charming. I’ve borrowed bits and pieces of this premise more than once and will probably do so again because while a good man may be what we need, it’s the bad boy we definitely want.

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

ALIX:I’m a huge Dr.Doofenshmirtz fan—the “villain” from Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. This show is clever without being crass, and the music is catchy. It’s become a toss-up who enjoys it more, me or my kids.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

ALIX:Spring peepers. When I hear their singing coming from the creek behind my house, I know spring isn’t far away. Although in the last month, my favorite sounds have been Christmas carols. I love holiday music and listen to it almost non-stop this time of year. It keeps me in a happy holiday mood even when I’m up to my eyeballs in trees and cards and shopping and baking…

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

ALIX:Meet The Fuzzy Family. No bragging here, but it was a fabulous story I wrote and illustrated in the 4th grade. I went on to write an entire series starring these characters – The Fuzzy Family’s New Year, Fuzzy Family’s Valentines Day, Fuzzy Family’s Easter … you get the idea. The stapled notebook pages still live in a box in my attic, and yes, I’m ever hopeful they’ll be million dollar collectors’ items someday.

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

ALIX:I change my answer from the last time I visited? The more I thought about it, the more Idecided that Local Hero starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster is my favorite movie. I’ve watched this movie a million times and still find it as wonderful as ever. It’s a classic fish out of water plot, but the off-beat characters, the stunning Scottish scenery, and Mark Knopfler’s haunting soundtrackare pitch-perfect.

ANGI: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

ALIX:Writing definitely! I’ve been painfully shy my whole life, and I’m still a declared introvert so conversation is always hard. What usually happens is that I come up with the sparkling, witty repartee a day after I’ve had the conversation. Not exactly helpful. Luckily, my characters don’t have that same difficulty.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Hey Alix, your website’s banner states: Regency Romance Touched By Something Other. Paranormal Regencies…very cool. I absolutely adore books about the Fey. So I gotta ask…which of the HEIRS is your favorite? Do you have one?

ALIX HAS GOTTA ANSWER:I try not to play favorites, and maybe it’s because this one is freshest in my mind, but I have a definite soft spot for Brendan Douglas in HEIR OF DANGER. Even in the worst situations, he keeps his sense of humor, and I love the fact that he and Elisabeth are friends as much as lovers.

UP NEXT: I’m working on a spin-off series of the Heirs of Kilronan trilogy. Details are still sketchy, but you can check out my FB page or website for more information as it becomes available.

ALIX is giving away an autographed copy of HEIR OF DANGER to a blog commenter.

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in atimely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, theauthor may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does notautomatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

ALIX HAS A QUESTION:

While we’re all still aglow with the holiday spirit, I’d love to know what your favorite moment was this season – a dinner with family? Watching your kids open presents? Baking? Caroling?

READERS DON’T FORGETto follow us on Facebook & Twitter (#GetLostStories) for a daily update onwho’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Young Adult author Priya Ardis joins Simone on Monday. Wonderful, fantastic authors coming in2012. Share us with your friends...the more visitors we have, the more authorswe can bring you! ~Angi

"Morgan tightens the coil until it springs forward in an explosive finale." ~Romantic Times Magazine An 11th generation Texan, she plots ways to engage her readers with complex story lines, in actual Texas locations. She shares her research and photos on her daily blog: A Picture A Day.

Molly,How wonderful your daughters wanted to help you with dinner. After missing out on pumpkin pie at T-giving, I made one for Christmas. I still think I only got one slice before it was gone. Maybe I'll have to make another one for New Year and keep it for myself.

C.A.,Thanks for stopping by to chat. I loved writing this series, and I have to say I didn't think it would be so hard to say good-bye to characters I've been living with for years now.

June,You sound like a doting aunt. Unfortunately, most of my nieces and nephews are grown now which makes the holiday a little different, but still special when we all get together on Christmas Eve.

Maureen,Sounds like getting together with family is the highlight of many of our holidays. I split my celebrations between my husband's side (Christmas Eve) and my family (Christmas Day). Not sure which I prefer - traveling but no prep and clean-up or having everyone come to me but killing myself before and after. Either way, I love that we are close enough we can all get together.

Oh no, Abigail. Sounds horrible, but glad you're back home. No matter how nice the accomodations, there's nothing better than sleeping in your own bed. I have a houseful coming next week, and I'll be shoe-horning people in all over the place. A sofa bed may be their most comfortable option - one step up from a sleeping bag. :)

Angi,Thanks for inviting me to visit GLIAS today. I love your daughter's ideas. They sound like a blast. The tacky T-shirt Christmas Eve is definitely the most inventive. So, fess up. What did your T-shirt look like?

Alix, what a great interview. Thanks to Angi! Welcome to Get Lost in a Story. I read your 2007 Golden Heart finaling book and I can state unequivocally that your storytelling is amazing. I know this series will equally or even exceed!

My favorite moment was sitting down to dinner with my entire family. This occurrence happens too few these days! Happy New Year!

Donnell, So great to see you here and what a lovely compliment. *blushing* You don't know how happy I am to see Dangerous Magic finally find a home after so many years. That was truly a book of my heart and really kicked off my desire to blend fantasy with regency.

Great interview! Your book sounds really good and I would love to read it.

I think the most favorite part of this holiday season was setting down and haveing dinner with my family. Although it was pretty cute when my sixteen year old niece wanted a car for Christmas and every one it the family got her a hot wheels cars. She also got an old car key and we told her it was to start all of her hot wheel cars up.

My brother once wrapped up an old pair of socks and gave them to my then-five year old niece for Christmas. You should have seen her face. It's been almost twenty years and I don't think she's forgiven him yet.